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Friday, August 21, 2009

won't you take me to...shawarma king? sung to the tune of "funkytown" of course.

well, i'm on the road in a couple of hours. by 7:30 tonight, i'll be eating with my family and good friends at one of my favorite restaurants in the whole world: shawarma kingin kalamazoo, MI. me and mr. jewbacca are originally from that area. and while we're very happy that we don't live there anymore-(the winters there are BRUTAL), we miss having SK near us.

the first time i went vegan-(a loooong story you can read about that adventure at the very beginning of this blog), i recall having an issue or two while dining out where i'd learn that the middle eastern eatery of choosing would make their falafel with a binder, usually egg. when i asked this question here, the waitress raised a suspicious eyebrow and told me, "what you were having was not falafel. falafel should never be made with egg, we'll never make it with egg. if it has egg in it, it isn't falafel!" well said, waitress.

while shawarma king does offer many options for omnivores that follow the dietary laws of halal, they also offer many vegan options. you can check out their menu here. all veggie dishes are free of animal by products and damn tasty. i don't know what the chef does to that hummous, but i've never been able to replicate it. it is without any lumps and tastes light like mousse. absolutely delish. the closest thing we have to a middle eastern restaurant down here is falafels, an israelli place and their food isn't as good as SK, and way too pricey-(yes, really).

soooo, whenever i'm in kalamazoo--it is mandatory we go there. and if i'm meeting with old friends, i make them meet me there too, even if they don't like middle eastern food-(did i ever tell you i'm stubborn?) if i don't go up north and mr. jewy goes, he brings a cooler and comes home with fattoush, falafel, and that awesome hummous.

so if you happen to have travels that require you to be in or drive through kzoo, go there. you'll be glad you did.

6 comments:

Sounds like you are in for a good meal! As you can imagine, here in Saudi we get plenty of great Arabic food! And yes, falafel should never have egg in it! Falafel is something, along with chocolate and bread, that if made to a high standard should always be 'accidentally' vegan.

A lot of people ask me how I get my hummus to be so creamy and fluffy. The key is to add splashes of water, good olive oil and lemon juice. And it helps if your tahini has a lot of oil/water content as well. My hummus usually consists of chickpeas (obviously), TONS of garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, water and tahini. There is never a lump or bump to be seen!

Oh man I love falafel, and that plate looks like it has a ton of tabbouleh on it! I usually have to order extra because they just don't give you enough with a mezza.

The cheapest Lebanese place in Portland used to have not so good falafel (rumored to be from a box) and often referred to as "awful falafel" but it suddenly got way better. Mmmm I have to go there soon! :)

i totally love falafel... i want to be taken to shawarma king. on my death bed, i think i might request hummus and falafel. and maybe some grape leaves... and of course, chips and salsa (which doesn't fit with the rest, but i have to have them).